Filipino Pro-administrative Bloggers vs Opposition, A "Pinoy" Blog War

It's a pity to see Filipinos use the social media so irresponsibly. It's even more of a pity when educated bloggers who would do so well to use their influence for the good of the whole nation, use their influence and their platform to disrupt. And with the currently ongoing battle between Filipino pro-administrative bloggers and the opposition, it seems that respect has flown out the coop.

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A protagonist and antagonist always make a good story but what makes it even more interesting is the battle. I have always been interested in books that narrates a decent plot with a certain play of words, and of course with an abundance of wit. What I've been reading lately about the exchanges between political bloggers makes me gasp. That as eloquently (using Filipino vernacular) as their speech to the masses may sound, their way of writing does not entice me one little bit and instead repulses me. However, it does make me feel sad. How can it come to this? How can they and we sink so low? Why "we"? Because as their "engaging" audience, we allow them to continue with their tirades. Giving them more motive, power, and drive to carry on with gusto.

There are three that represent the Holy Grail of the pro-administrative bloggers and are undoubtedly a formidable trio that, even as people try their hardest, cannot be undone. They are the product of a disgruntled public who are fed up with being looked down upon, being called crude, vulgar and ignorant and uninformed. Armed with propaganda, the "blessing" of the administration, and weaponized resources (Internet), these three have created a very effective campaign of truth-peddling and "facts" deploying that none of the traditional media institutions can keep up with. They have made social media campaigns, spreading information to promote or publicize a particular cause or viewpoint to shape public opinion, tear down reputations and to sow confusion and doubt to the public. To their very loyal public, however, nothing is amiss and nothing is questioned. As a writer said about the trio, it's the hypocrisy of those who attack them that serves as their binding source. Albeit true, there's always a weakness.

One of the bloggers is an active transgender activist..fighting for the rights of equal opportunity among all genders and may I add, has had her fair share of harassment and bullying, this according to a speech she gave. In her speech, she said she was even called out by a fellow transgender activist and to herself thought "How can a transgender rights activist bully and make someone feel bad about her body? Does she really know the point of what she was fighting for?" Honestly, I've been called ugly (and this is to my face point blank) but, never considered it as bullying rather an issue of self-esteem. That's just me. Going back  to her statement, as the roles are now reversed and she is doing what she has cried as foul, let me ask " How can a political blogger like yourself, who believes in the freedom of speech, and the "rights" of the Filipino people bully and make someone feel bad about their own point-of-views and perspectives( as it is seemingly not aligned to yours)? Do you really know what you are fighting for? United we stand but divided we shall fall. And division among Filipinos is not what we want.

Another pro-administrative blogger who owns a popular site (and recruits the help of the above blogger), gained attention with his misleading posts regarding the Vice President. I have to commend him for his research skills to find sources and references. What I don't agree with is him steering the information he had gathered into a certain direction-misleading the public. This was a point made by many which he does not and will not accept. In one of his posts dated January 2, 2017, he finds the VP in photos with a geriatric doctor and steers his readers towards the issue of pregnancy. It's pretty clever- pasting facts to fallacious reasoning, deciphering and translating the surname of the doctor (I didn't see the point in this) then has a sudden leap of logic: from dinner to meeting a pregnancy doctor to...he ended the post leaving the reader to fill in the blanks. In all honesty, I don't understand why people would get so worked up on the VP being pregnant. It would have been nice if she was..it would have probably stopped people and so-called bloggers (the assistant secretary of the PCOO is guilty of this) from cyberbullying her because an expectant mother shouldn't be stressed. And I would think that mothers around the country would make sure that these bloggers would stop. Mom-Shaming 

President Duterte with Assistant Secretary of the PCOO
by Robinson Ninal is licensed under Public Domain

The last of the Holy Grail is the Assistant Secretary of PCOO.  If you google "fake news" and scroll down to the countries battling their own cases of fake news- click on the Philippines, you"ll find her name there. After tiring of cyberbullying the VP, her published posts became more of the "copy and paste" type with the addition of a caption, of course. Because of lack of research before publishing, she has caused quite a stir for a number of her posts-she has been called out by the public for misrepresentation, misleading information and/or fake news. To add insult to injury, a journalist used her as an example when she (the journalist) spoke about fake news. Fake News

Anti-administrative bloggers have written articles anonymously knowing that they would be the ire of pro-administrative bloggers as well as the current government. And one has emerged from the shadows, accepting responsibility and accountability for a local blog site. I commend her for coming out. Not because I agree with her but, because she took accountability- a trait which some pro-administrative bloggers are missing. As the so-called owner of the site has yet to emerge, she has admitted to being the author of posts published on the site adding that the controversial site is hers which she purchased. To force her  into silence, the pro-administrative bloggers proceeded into a litany of bashes, attempted to shut down the website by recruiting the masses to launch a massive "abuse" complaint, even as far as lodging a complaint to the author's school(the blogger is taking up law) and threatening to file a case of libel. Another government official, who is a doctor, posted a picture of the opposition blogger saying "her ugliness is extraordinary"; I guess the good doctor did this for revenge for all the articles the opposition blogger had written which did not paint a pretty picture for the government. As you can see, many are the pro-administrative bloggers and to be threatened by one of the opposition shows a lot to the people. Makes me wonder if these pros- bloggers write for the intention of brain-washing. Forcing all of us to submit is not right; forcing us to silence forfeits our right. We all have an opinion too albeit non-congruent to yours. According to Dr. Seuss in Yertle, the Turtle, "I know up on top, you are seeing great sights. But down here, on the bottom, we too, should have rights."

A jailed Senator is crying out to the Filipino people to defend the anti-administrative blogger. I'm sorry, even if I believe your imprisonment is unlawful, even if I do believe in this blogger, I can't and I won't defend this person. The same applies to the formidable 3. All of you are the same. All of you are guilty of shoveling disinformation down people's throats to fill their empty stomachs so you can steer away from real issues that plague our country: hunger, increasing prices of commodities, employment with reasonable wages, better living conditions and corruption. As of now, they are using their platforms to discredit each other. Not very appetizing to see posted on my wall. I want to read news and opinions that piques my intellect, not this derogatory battle of words. I want to read about enlightenment, about uniting the Filipinos. For pro-administrative bloggers, write about the bad aside from the good of the current administration. For the opposition, praise the government or those officials when they do a good job. A balance is all I ask nevertheless, I probably will never see it.

The international media is being accused of destabilizing the government. Our problem is not mainly foreign, it is also domestic. I believe that the government's social media team(though they may refute political affiliation) and the opposition's social media team is partly to blame for this. You are causing unrest. It would be prudent to use your influence for the greater good- to unite the Filipinos so we can build a better country. Let's be responsible.

Listen to you father by Charlie Wollborg
is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

*credit to sources:
"Reclaiming the Wronged Body" by Sass Rogando Sasot
"Hypocrisy's War with Uson, Sasot, and Thinking Pinoy" by Antonio P. Contreras (www.manilatimes.net)
"Propaganda War: Weaponizing the Internet" by Maria A. Ressa (www.rappler.com)
#Nasaansileni: Leni Meets Fil-Am Pregnancy Doctor Before Manila Flight" by RJ Nieto (www.thinkingpinoy.net)